Nestled in the rolling hills of Greene County, Ryerson Station State Park offers scenic beauty and plenty of activities. Eleven miles of trails wind their way through the park, traveling through several different habitats, from open fields and mature forests to marshy valleys and evergreen plantations. This year, the park introduced its new solar array, public pool, and splash pad to the delight of community members. Also new to Ryerson this year and providing additional delightful activities for our community members is Park Educator Lee Schuler.
Lee comes to Ryerson from the Stroudsburg area of eastern Pennsylvania, where she was a field biologist. She worked for as a Vector Control Program Coordinator for Monroe County, specializing in insect-borne disease control, and working with the Department of Environmental Protection on water quality studies. Lee was looking for a change in scenery and interested in heading into western Pennsylvania, so she applied for a few positions before accepting her current position as park educator.
Lee moved to Greene County, settled in cozy cottage in Waynesburg, and began planning educational events and activities for the 2022 summer. “It’s been a big change moving to such a rural area. It reminds me of the Poconos when I used to live as a child. It’s very beautiful. And the people have been very kind and treated me well.”
“I’m working hard at settling in,“ Lee adds. “My first season here has been spent working on programming for future events, as well as a lot of training.”
Since it is her first time serving as a park educator, Lee has attended multiple trainings to prepare her for the role, often traveling to other state parks. She’s also gotten various certifications during her training, including a recent certification as a watershed educator. This certification will allow her to pair with local teachers and provide watershed education to the community.
This year, Lee has held education activities including star gazing, informational sessions about poisonous and noxious plants, an owl program, mushroom Identification hikes, a Mother’s Day wild tea paint and sip, and a bat count. She’s already planning a full schedule of events for the next year.
Lee is a watercolorist and oil painter and plans to incorporate more art-influenced activities as part of the educational program. These programs would focus on integrating art and nature, like the Mother’s Day wild tea paint and sip that was a popular event this year. Attendees enjoyed painting a watercolor still life while sipping teas made from foraged wild ingredients.
The Ryerson Station park educator is laid off each winter season from December to February. Lee will return to the park in March and spend that month and the next preparing programming for the 2023 summer. She hopes to have a full schedule of fun, informational activities in a range of interests. And she’s open to hearing feedback from the community.
“I’d love to hear from people with any suggestions they have for future programming,” Lee says. If you’re interested in sharing a suggestion with Lee, you can email leschuler@pa.gov or call 724-428-4621.
Stay up to date on what is happening at the park by visiting their website at www.dcnr.pa.gov/StateParks/FindAPark/RyersonStationStatePark and viewing the calendar of events. Or follow them on Facebook on the Friends of Ryerson Station State Park page.